Alabama RB may have already dropped the best Tide quote of the year

The expectations for Kalen DeBoer’s second year in Tuscaloosa are high, but the excitement about the team began to wane ever so slightly with the news of starting running back Jam Miller’s injury. Miller was the second-leading rusher on last year’s team, behind Jalen Milroe, and had hopes of a breakout year with a more traditional running game and a talented offensive line. 

The upper-body injury will keep him out at least through the Crimson Tide’s Week 1 matchup with Florida State. However, any concerned Alabama fans will start to feel better after hearing what Miller’s backup had to say. 

Louisiana transfer Dre Washington is slated to take over the lion’s share of the carries in Alabama’s backfield for the start of the season, and it sounds like the 5-foot-9, 215-pound senior is ready to step into that role. When asked about the anticipation of an increased workload, Washington responded, “I can’t cry about having a lot on my plate when my goal was to eat.” 

Dre Washington is ready to take on a significant workload in Alabama’s Week 1 matchup against Florida State

Washington is likely to top the depth chart in Week 1 with Richard Young and Daniel Hill spelling him in the backfield, but it will be quite the experiment giving Washington RB1 carries against a Power 4 opponent. 

For all his experience as a redshirt senior, Washington has never cracked 100 carries in a season, and his career-high for single-game carries is 16 in a 2023 overtime New Orleans Bowl loss to Jacksonville State. 

He’s always been an efficient ball-carrier, but he’s an undersized back who hasn’t been asked to withstand the physical demands of 15-20 carries regularly. Now, DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb could be calling on him to tote the rock early and often against the Seminoles. 

While Milroe’s overzealous approach to the read-option game led to plenty of poor decisions and an overall inefficient ground attack, the Tide still must find a way to replace his 168 attempts, 726 yards, and 20 touchdowns from last season. That won’t be easy, and with Miller out and Washington unlikely to hold up as a workhorse, it could be all hands on deck in the Alabama backfield in Week 1.